MEET EILEEN CONSORTI, MD

DIRECTOR OF SUTTER HEALTH’S CAROL ANN READ BREAST HEALTH CENTER

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Those inspiring words from Helen Keller frame the collaborative, inclusive spirit that has always been at the heart of the Clinic’s philosophy and success. Over the last 18 months, Keller’s mantra has been exemplified and amplified through extraordinary community partnerships, notably with Sutter Health and its Berkeley hospital, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. Dr. Eileen Consorti, a noted breast cancer surgeon, former Alta Bates’ medical staff president and chief of surgery, has been the impetus for much of this success.

Among her numerous responsibilities and accomplishments, Dr. Consorti heads the Carol Ann Read Breast Health Center at Alta Bates Summit, and has been the engine behind the rollout of Sutter Health’s mobile mammography services. The van’s inaugural visit to the Clinic in December 2020 was an amazing statement and ray of hope to physicians, patients and staff, with the knowledge that women without insurance now have access to top-flight technology and diagnostics, including 3D digital mammography, a comfortable waiting area and private changing and exam rooms.

This Community Benefit Partnership with Sutter Health has propelled the Order of Malta Clinic forward in ways unimaginable a few years ago, says the Clinic’s medical director, Vona Lorenzana, MD. She cites Sutter Health’s partnership and support of mobile mammography services, as well as for Electronic Medical Records, as pivotal to navigating the constraints of providing care during COVID-19. “It may seem counterintuitive, but COVID actually increased our ability to serve our patients, and the sense of community and cooperation that made that possible has been extraordinary,” she says.

“Finding breast cancer at its earliest possible stage is critical to survival, and early detection through regular mammograms remains the best defense against the disease,” Dr. Consorti says. “As an oncologist, surgeon and breast cancer survivor, this cause is very personal to me. Our mobile mammography van will provide screenings to hundreds of women each year, many of whom, such as those at the Order or Malta Clinic, are uninsured.

Finding breast cancer at its earliest possible stage is critical to survival, and early detection through regular mammograms remains the best defense against the disease. As an oncologist, surgeon and breast cancer survivor, this cause is very personal to me. Our mobile mammography van will provide screenings to hundreds of women each year, many of whom, such as those at the Order or Malta Clinic, are uninsured.

“I attended Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago and was admitted to the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society,” Dr. Consorti says. “This honor first acquainted me with the work of the Order to Malta to bring care to those in greatest need. It is a passion I have carried forward through my residency at the University of Minnesota, and my research fellowship at MD Anderson in Houston. Today, back home in my native California, I am honored to be able help others avoid, detect and treat breast cancer among our most vulnerable populations. It’s important to note that men can develop breast cancer as well, so while our patients may be primarily women, we are bringing life-saving technology to all.”

Dr. Consorti always finds ways to do “more.” Bringing this partnership full circle, she also volunteers her surgical services with Operation Access, a local health care initiative and health care partner to the Order of Malta Clinic.

Eileen Consorti, MD